Russia’s possible return to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe would mean that even institutions created to defend European values are no longer able to do so, writes Volodymyr Yermolenko.

The Council of Europe (CoE) could become the first European institution to lift sanctions imposed on Russia for annexing Crimea and military aggression in Eastern Ukraine. This would be a major blow to democratic values on the European continent, write Volodymyr Yermolenko and Sergiy Sydorenko.

In light of human rights violations in Crimea and a new law allowing Russia to ignore rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, there is no justification for the country to remain in the Council of Europe, writes Susan Stewart.